Olympic Skateboarding

IOC APPROVES FIVE NEW SPORTS FOR OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020

THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) TODAY AGREED TO ADD BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, KARATE, SKATEBOARD, SPORTS CLIMBING AND SURFING TO THE SPORTS PROGRAMME FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020.

The decision by the 129th IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro was the most comprehensive evolution of the Olympic programme in modern history. Plans call for staging the skateboarding and sports climbing events in temporary venues installed in urban settings, marking a historic step in bringing the Games to young people and reflecting the trend of urbanisation of sport.

The Organising Committee for the Tokyo 2020 Games proposed the five new sports in response to the new flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020.

TEXT: The Ride Channel.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today voted unanimously to include skateboarding in the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.

The vote, which took place during the 129th IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro, the site of this year’s Summer Games, was the culmination of a lengthy campaign to bring skateboarding to the Olympics. The Fédération Internationale Roller Sports (FIRS) was behind skateboarding’s bid, though the World Skateboarding Federation (WSF) and International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) have both argued that they should oversee skating in the Games. In a lawsuit filed last month, the WSF alleged that the ISF failed to test skaters for drugs at contests it sanctioned and that it offered favors to an IOC official to block its rival from Olympic negotiations, allegations the IOC called baseless.

In April, the IOC proposed that a commission representing the three groups, as well as the skaters, run the prospective contests. As announced today, though, Olympic skateboarding will operate under the oversight of the Tokyo 2020 Skateboarding Commission, which consists of chairman Gary Ream, president of theISF; Simone Masserini, executive director of the FIRS; and Neal Hendrix, pro skater and ISF athlete representative.

The Olympic contests will include men’s and women’s park and street events, with a total of 80 skaters—40 men and 40 women—competing in them. The IOC expects skating to draw a younger audience to the Games. Before it voted, it screened a video that featured a series of skate clips and renderings of the contests themselves:

Skateboarding was one of five sports added to the Olympic program, alongside sport climbing, karate, baseball/softball, and surfing. The 2020 Summer Olympics will take place in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9.